Max ulrich



(No Model.)

M. ULRICH.

STEAM ENGINE. No. 484,069. Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

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UNITEDb STATES! PATENT OFFICE. f

G. HILL, OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,069, dated October 11, 1892.

Application filed March 12, 1890. Serial No. 343,647. (No model.)

, K .T @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX ULRICH, of Northampton, (Florence,) county of Hampshire, State of Masachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Steam-Engines, of which the fol` lowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention is embodied in an oscillatingcylinder steam-engine, and relates, mainly,

. to the construction of the valve mechanism c register with live-steam and exhaust ports in l a stationary steam-chest.

The engaging surfaces in which the said port-openings are formed are substantially cylindrical and cov axial with the axis of oscillation of the steamcylinder. The said steam-chest is separated by a partition substantially in line with the axis of the engine-cylinder when in deadcenter position into live-steam and exhaust chambers, and live-steam and exhaust portopenings are formed at either side of said partition, so that the port-opening that accompanies the cylinder is placed rst in connection with one and then with the other as the cylinder oscillates. The port-openings p carried by the cylinder that cooperate with the port-openings in the steam-chest are for convenience of construction and assemblage of the parts formed in a separate piece from the cylinder and connected therewith, and y the steam-chest is so constructed that the v ports between the steam-chest and cylinder are very short, reducing the clearance to a minimum.

There are several advantages derived from the above-mentioned construction, which will Y be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an engine embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a longi- The main framework A may be substantially a single casting, having bearings at a, Fig. 2, for the main shaft b, provided w1th Vthe fly-wheel or pulley b2 and wrist or crank MAX ULRICH, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ARTHUR plate b3, having the crank-pin b4 engaged by, f

the piston-rod c, all of which may beof usual construction.

The piston-rod c is connected with the piston c2, operating in the cylinder d, which is ings d3, properly supported upon the framework, the said construction permitting the oscillations of the cylinder d as the end of the piston-rod c moves in the circle of the crank-pin b4, and said trunnions receiving the thrust or pressure of the steam upon the cylinder as it actuates the piston.

Steam is admitted to and exhausted from the ends of the steam-cylinder at the proper times through ports e e2, which communicate with and form, substantially, the extensions of ports ff2 in the valve-piece g, rigidly connected with the said cylinder and itself having a substantially-cylindrical portion, the

, provided with trunnions d2, working in loear-4 axis of which is at right angles to that of the,

steam-cylinder d and in line with the axis of Athe trunnions d2, as clearly shown in Figs. 2

and 3, and said portion might loe made tapering or conical instead of cylindrical, it being necessary only that it should be coaxial with Y the cylinder-trunnions and of proper shape to receive and co-operate with the steam-chest, which will be hereinafter described.

The bottom of the cylindrical extension g drical surface of the piece g, connected with the cylinder d, which surface surrounds and incloses the steam-chest h, which has a prorfrom the main cylinder-that is, the portion IOO jectng portion or boss h2, by which it is securely fastened upon a bracket i, connected with the main framework. The said steamchest is substantially in the form of a cylinder having inner and outer walls connected at their ends, so as to inclose a space or chamber within them, the outer cylindrical wall having a working fit in the valve-piece g, connected with the engine-cylinder, while the inner cylindrical wall and one head or end are shaped to fit over the projection g2, that incloses the main cylinder-trunnion, and the other head is provided with the extension h2, by which the steam-chest is connected with the framework, as before stated, and which contains bosses h3 h4, the former of which is connected with a steam-pipe 7c (see Fig. 2) and the latter of which is connected with the exhaust-pipe, by which the exhauststeam may be conveyed to any desired point.

The space inclosed in the steam-chest 72. is divided by a partition h5 into two separate chambers communicating with the passages through the bosses h3 h4, respectively, the former constituting a live-steam chest or chamber and the latter an exhaust-steam chest or chamber. The plane of section on which Fig. 2 is drawn lies in this partition, and the shape of the chamber at the farther side of the partition position is indicated in dotted lines.

Suitable port-openings m m2 for live steam and n n2 for exhaust-steam (see Fig. 3) are formed in the outer cylindrical wall of the chest h close to the partition h5, as shown, so that the ports f f2 oscillate with the enginecylinder d, while the steam-chest remains stationary. The said ports f f 2 are each brought alternately into connection with the ports m n and m2 n2, respectively, causing steam to be admitted to and exhausted from the ends of the cylinder at proper times to actuate the piston.

In order to secure a tight joint between the engaging surfaces of the steam-chest and portion g, connected with the engine-cylinder, which is herein called the valve-piece of the engine, as its movement controls the communication between the port-openings, and thus governs the flow of steam to and from the ends of the cylinder, the said portion g is provided with a head or bonnet g5, that ts over the projection h and against the outer head of the valve-chest, and is constructed to constitute with the said projection h a stuffing-box o, the construction of which is best shown in Fig. 5. The packing in said stuffing-box is compressed by a follower 02, operated by bolts 03, working in a flange 04 of the bonnet g5.

In order to insure that the valve-piece g shall be concentric with the axis of oscillation of the cylinder, the engaging face of the said portions may be provided with a tongue and l groove, said tongue being represented at ge,

Fig. 5, which may be turned in the cylinder at the same time that the bearing-surfaces of the trunnions are turned and may be turned in the valve-piece at the same time that its cylindrical surface-is bored or turned, thus insuring the concentricity of these parts.

As the cylinder is efficiently supported on its trunnions and as the valve construction is such that the steam-pressure is balanced on the surfaces of the chest h and valve-piece g, there will be but little wear on the said surfaces; but in order to compensate for such wear as may take place and to maintain a steam-tight barrier or packing between the live-steam and exhaust portions of the apparatus the said chest is provided with a packing-piece fr, (see Fig. 6,) working in a groove between. the live-steam and exhaust port openings, as shown, and acted upon by steam admitted through passages r2 from the livesteam chamber to act on the under inner surface of thc packing-piece and force them radially outward against the inner surface of the valve-piece, so that they will afford an efficient packing to prevent the escape of steam from the live-steam chest through the joint between the steam-chest andvalve-piece into the exhaust-chamber of the chest. The passage of steam to the steam-chest through the steam-pipe k is controlled by a valve k2, operated by a suitable governor 7a3, the construction of which need not be herein described, as it constitutes no part of the invention herein claimed.

It will be seen that by the construction of the steam-chest and valve-piece herein set forth several important advantages are attained, among which are the reduction of clearance in the ports f f2, which are very short; also, the absence of lateral pressure against the cylinder, such as is produced when the valve-operating port-openings are in a plane at right angles to the axis of oscillation, instead of in a cylindrical surface concentric with the axis of oscillation; also, a complete balancing of steam-pressure so far as the valve operation is concerned, and facility in securing and maintaining steam-tight joints in the working parts.

I claimy l. The combination of the oscillating cylinder and valve-piece connected with said cylinder and having a bore coaxial with the axis of oscillation of the cylinder and portopenings extending from points diametrically opposite one another in the said bore of the valve-piece to the ends of the cylinder with a steam-chest having a curved surface that has a working fit in the bore of said valvepiece, said steam-chest being divided by a longitudinal partition into live-steam and exhaust chambers and having ports adjacent to saidpartition at diametrically-opposite points, co-operating with the ports in the valve-piece,y substantially as and forthe purpose described.

2. The combination of the cylinder provided with trunions and supporting-bearings for said trunions with a valve-piece having a bore coaxial with the truninons, said valvepiece being secured to the cylinder and hav- IOO IIO

ing ports leading from its bore to the ends of the cylinder, said valve-piece having a recess adjacent to theside of the cylinder, in which recess one of the cylinder-trunnions and its bearing is located, and a steam-chest contained within the said valve-piece and divided by a longitudinal partition into inlet and eX- haust chambers, said steam chest having ports adjacent to said partition and diametrically opposite one another, co-operatin g with the ports in the valve-piece, substantially asdescribed.

3. The oscillating cylinder provided with trunnions and supporting-bearings for said.

with the valve-piece provided with a bore,

said valve-piece and cylinder being provided with an interlocking tongue and groove, as ge, turned concentric with lthe trunnion on the cylinder and concentric with the bore in the valve-piece, as described, wherebywhen the said cylinder and valve-piece are engaged at said tongue and groove the bore of the valvepiece is concentric with the trunnion of the cylinder, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the oscillating cylinder and valve-piece connected therewith, having a bore coaxial with the cylinder-trunnions, and ports leading from said bore to the ends of the cylinder, with a steam-chest having a working fit in the bore of said valvepiece and divided by alongitudinal partition into live-steam and exhaust chambers and provided with ports immediately adjacent to said partition, and a packing-strip interposed between the said ports in the steam-chest, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX ULRICH. 

